Self-centering hydraulic bearing.



F. HAYES.

SELF CEN'TERING HYDRAULIC BEARING.

APPLICATIONEILEDIUNE'IZ,1916- 1,238,51 5, Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

FRANK HAYES, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

nnro.

SELF-CENTERING HYDRAULIC BEARING.

Patented Aug. as, raw.

Application filedJune 12, 1916. Serial No. 103,192.

Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Self-Centering Hydraulic Bearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in self-centering hydraulic bearings for rotary pumps and resides in the provision of a simply constructed hearing which Will auto matic'ally center the pump and prevent vibration, thus eliminating the use of mechanical bearings and their inherent troubles due to friction, wear and vibration.

Another object is to generally improve hydraulic bearings for pumps so as to render them more reliable, eliicient and positively self-centering by providing a pocket in the bearing which will retain a portion of the liquid being pumped, thus making the bearing positive in action from the start without waiting for the liquid being pumped to reach the upper bearings above the level from which liquid is being pumped. Other objects and advantages may ap pear from the subjoined detail description. The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. y a

Figure 1 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on line 22 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional viewtalren on line 3+3 of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a pump tubing or casing comprising sections 2 and 3 which are joined by a coupling sleeve 4. The sleeve 4 comprises sections 5 and 6 respectively. The section 5 is considerably longer than the section 6 and is provided with internal screw-threads 7 at its upper end to receive the screw-threaded lower end of the section 2 of the casing, said screw-threads being formed so as to define a shoulder 8 which abuts the lower end of the section 2. The lower end of the section 5 of the sleeve is internally screw threaded and receives the reduced screw threaded portion 9 of thelower section 6. The reducing of the section 6. provides a shoulder 10 upon which the lower end of the section 5 rests,'said sections 5 and 6 being flush, upon their outer surfaces. The

lower end of the, section. 6 is internally ficrewthreaded as at 1 as is the upp d of the section 5 and receives the upper end of the section 3 of the casing.

The lower section 6 of the sleeve 4 extends upwardly into the upper section 5 and 'is offset or reduced as at 12 and spaced from the section 5 so as to provide an annular pocket 13 which is closed at its lower end and open at its upper end.

The upper section 5 is provided with radial deflecting vanes 14 which are integral with a collar 15 located centrally of the sleeve 4 and with said sleeve. A rotary pump shaft 16 extends through the collar 15 and into the hub member 17 of a propeller 18. The hub member 17 is provided with a reduced extension 19 which is internally screw-threaded and extends up wardly into the collar 15 butis spaced circumferentially from said collar, there be ing provided an opening 20 to receive said extension. The shaft 16 is turned in the screw-threaded portion 19. A transverse groove 22 is formed inthe upper end of another section 23 of the shaft 16, and said section 23 is extended through a spider 24 carried by the lower section 6 and upwardly into the hub 17. The upper end of the section' 23 is screw threaded as at 25 and cooperates with the internal screw-threaded hub 17 so that when the shaft 16 including the section 23 is rotated the propeller 18 and hub 17 thereof will be rotated.

The blades 26 of the propeller are joined at their outer ends with a cylindrical bearing shell 27 which is of slightly less diameter than the inside diameter of the sleeve and is spaced circumferentially from said sleeve. The lower portion of the shell 27 -is located within the pocket 13 in equidistantly spaced relation to thefwalls of the pocket so that the shell may rotate without coming into contact with said walls. In this connection it will be noted that the blades 26 of the propeller, hub 17 and the access to the pocket 13 and space between the upper portion of the shell 27 and opposed portion of the sleeve l, since the shell 27 is completely spaced from thecasing and sleeve 4;. WVhen the propeller is rotated the liquid in the pocket 13 is equally distributed upon both sides of the portion of the shell 27 that is located within the pocketv and the centrifugal action of the liquid serves to hold the pro eller 18 andshell 27 centered. Should the shell 27 move off the center the resistance offered it owing to the displacement of the liquid will cause an immediate centering of the shell and cooperating parts.

The liquid in the pocket 13 and between the shell and sleeve 4; provides what might be termed a wedging action when the device is not centering properly.

The vanes'l4r act to curb the rotativetend- .ency of the liquid which is lifted upwardly by the propeller 18 and cause the liquid to be forced upwardly without swirling to any extent. When the propeller 18 is rotated the liquidis lifted upwardly and also given a rotary motion. The diffusion vanes 14 catch the liquid as it leaves the propeller and convert the rotary motion into a vertical motion, thus increasing the .eifioiency of the pump and. eliminating the friction caused by the swirling of the liquid. The

arms of the spider 9A act as guide vanes andkeep the liquid from whirling as it enters the propeller, thus making the pumping action more efi'ective on the liquid. This eliminates wear and friction betweenthe water and easing, permits the liquid to pass up the casing freely and withoutundue obstruction.

The liquid finds its way to the spaces be tween the rotating and stationary parts of the pump and as said spaces are of equal dimensions relative to the respective parts a balancing or centeringwof the rotating parts is bad Friction is thus reduced to the minimum since the liquid acting as a bearing is rotated with and by said rotating parts.

It will be seen with reference to the fore going description and accompanying drawingsfthat I have provided a rotary hydraulic pump in which the rotating parts do not comeinto bearing contact with the stationary parts and all undue wear and'lost motion is therefore eliminated. Aside from this feature the device may be readily assembled and disassembled so that parts may be renewed when necessary.

- Myinvention also overcomes the difli culty of, oiling the bearings which are below the top of the wellsince lubrication in my de vice is not required,

a I claim:

1 1. itself-centering hydraulic bearing for rotary-pumps comprising casing sections, a coupling in two sections removably con pocket and bein-gspaced nected with one another, connecting the easing sections, the lowermost of the coupling sections extending into the upper section and being offset and spaced circumferentially from said upper section to provide an annular pocket opening at its upper end and closed at its lower end, a rotary shaft mounted within the casing and extending through the coupling, a pump carried by the shaft, and a peripheral shell on the .pumpextending into the pocket and being spaced from the coupling and wallsof the pocket ifOlIl'lBGl therein.

2. In a self-centering hydraulic bearing for vertical rotary pumps, a well casing'in sections, a coupling in two sections connecting the casing .sections, oneiof said coupling sections extending into and being spaced circumferentially from the other coupling section to provide an annular pocket openingat its upper end,- a shaft mountedwithin by the shaft, and a peripheral shell carried by the propeller andflextending into the from the walls thereof. a

3. 111 a self-centering hydraulic bearing 7 forvertieal rotary pumps, a well casingin sections, a coupl-ingin two sections connect ing the casing sections, one of said coupling sections extending into and being spaced circumferentially from the other upper end,

, shaft mounted within the casing and coupling, a propeller carried by the shaftga peripheral shell carried by the propeller .and extending into the pocket and being spaced from-the walls thereofysaid shaft being in sections having screw-threads meeting unterlooked ends, and a screwthreaded hub for said propeller being 105 turned upon the screw-threads'of the ends of the shaft sections to hold the sections in interlocked position. a

l. In a self-centeringhydraulic bearing for vertical rotary pumps, a well casing in 110 sections, a coupling in two sections connectmg the casing sect1ons,0neof said coupling sections extending into and being spaced circumferentially from the other upper end,

a shaft mountediwithin the casing and cou- 115 pling, a propeller carried by the shaft, a peripheral shell carried by the propeller and extending into the pocket and being spaced from the walls thereof, said shaft being in sections having screwthreads meeting in- 120 terlocked "ends, and screw-threaded hub for said propeller being turned upon the screw-threads of the ends of the shaftsections to hold the sections in interlocked position, said coupling sections being con- 125 nected by screw-threads.

In a self-centering bearing for vert cal rotary pumps, a well casing in sect1ons,'a coupling comprising two sections connectin the ends of the well casing, one

peller located between the bearings and carried by the shaft, and a peripheral shell carried by the propeller and extending into and being spaced from the Walls of the 15 pocket and the Walls of the coupling.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 6th day of June, 1916.

FRANK HAYES. Witnesses:

CHAS. J. CHUNN, MARY E. BLASDEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

